Inside Hasbro's Awesome 40th Anniversary Star Wars Black Series Figures

StarWars.com: We're also getting new figures -- Jawa, Tusken Raider, Death Squad Commander, and a wide release for C-3PO (who was a former Walgreens exclusive) -- in the Black Series line. This will complete the "original 12," or the original 12 Star Wars toys released in 1977. Was this especially exciting for the team to do at this time?

Steve Evans: It really was an easy decision. We wanted to honor the fact that Star Wars started with 3.75-inch figures but also nod to the fact that we now have 6-inch figures too. The fact that we were already so close to the having the first 12 (1977) figures in the modern day 6-inch Black Series made it just such an obvious project. We also didn’t need much of an excuse to do a cool Jawa and perhaps a more left field Death Squad Commander.

Plus, I think we all wanted to see those evocative card backs at a larger scale. I also personally liked the fact that we could deliver earlier Black Series figures to collectors who perhaps have only started collecting 6-inch and missed them first time around. And for those who may have them already, they get a very different and meaningful packaging expression.

StarWars.com: The retro packaging is charming and seems to have been done with real care -- you even have the Kenner logo on there. What was the process in adapting this classic look for the Black Series' 6-inch scale? Was it difficult?

Steve Evans: There were a few considerations we took into account when designing these. Getting the artwork to print with a good resolution as we make the card backs bigger was certainly tricky. But we 100 percent wanted to replicate the original art faithfully. Bear in mind that the majority of the images were original scans of physical photographs that were over 40 years old. But in a way, the imperfections are what makes these packs charming.

We also needed to proportionally reduce the height of the card back in relation to the figure. If we kept the same proportional scale as the original 3.75-inch packaging from 1977, the new 2017 6-inch versions would have been too tall and prone to damage. That, plus the fact that we needed to punch the peg hole in a different location to ensure the figure hung straight, meant we had to rearrange the logos and other elements slightly.

StarWars.com: On that note, I couldn't believe it when I saw the Legacy Pack, an obvious homage to the Early Bird Kit from 1977. 

Steve Evans: To say that the introduction of the Star Wars universe was pioneering or groundbreaking would be galactic-sized understatement! The Early Bird idea was no exception. Sell a cardboard "promise" to thousands of eager kids before the toys were even made, and then ship the toys to them when they were ready. It was crazy. Crazy brilliant! We of course couldn’t do that today, but we loved the idea of taking the graphics form that "product" and applying it to our commemorative pack. It has a VERY distinct look and those who know what it is and means are naturally drawn to it.

StarWars.com: In addition to the Black Series 6-inch line, you also have the new Titanium 3.75-inch figures, which look like beautiful miniature statues. Where did the idea for this line come from?

Steve Evans: We were looking for new expressions to add to the 40th anniversary line and the Titanium line was a nice way to expand the offering. Very early on in the ideation, we liked the idea of having reversible backdrops for these "moments-in-time" poses. So once we found the moments we wanted and the backdrops that fit, which were different from each other, we had our pose!

StarWars.com: Is there anything you want fans to know about what went into making these figures, and what celebrating the 40th anniversary of Star Wars means to Hasbro?

Steve Evans: 2017 may be the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, but it is also an incredible 40th milestone for one of the designers here at Hasbro that actually worked on the original toys back in 1977. Mark Boudreaux was at Kenner in 1977 and was part of the team that created the toys we are honoring today. Toys that inspired me as a child! (He probably won’t thank me for reminding him that! Sorry Mark!)

I think it's amazing that Mark has worked on EVERY Star Wars movie toy line and is currently busy on all the new films that we are looking forward to. Mark brings with him such a sense of meaning to all that we do. He truly epitomizes one of life’s lessons… “Do a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

Dan Brooks is Lucasfilm’s senior content writer and editor of the StarWars.com blog. He loves Star Wars, ELO, and the New York Rangers, Jets, and Yankees. Follow him on Twitter @dan_brooks where he rants about all these things.